Sunday, 25 March 2012

Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos

Good afternoon all. Apologies for the lack of activity recently, I've been enjoying the sun too much over the last few days! Yesterday I took a jaunt to London for a friend's birthday, starting at The Riding House Cafe (http://www.ridinghousecafe.co.uk/) for an epic breakfast, followed by trips to Craft Beer Co., Byron Haymarket and the Cask Pub & Kitchen, culminating in a visit to the cigar terrace at Boisdale Belgravia. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable day with plenty of interesting beers, whiskies and food. Back to the blog though, and I've amassed a large number of reviews since my last post so let's get started with Rare Vos, a Belgian Pale Ale from Brewery Ommegang, based in New York but part of the same family of breweries that produces Duvel. I'm expecting good things from this beer considering the prestigious lineage, so let's get onto the review after the pic....

Rare Vos (6.5% ABV) pours an amber colour with a thick white head that settles to a thin halo around the inside of the glass. The aroma consists of spice, phenols, candy sugar, honey and a sweet fruity character that's reminiscent of dates. Nice characteristic Belgian aromas, definitely promising so far. The taste is composed of spice, phenols, grapes, blackcurrants, kiwifruit, honey and buttery malt (not in a diacetyl sense though), with no bitterness or bite to the finish. The mouthfeel is light-bodied with minimal carbonation. Overall, a good quality beer that combines typical Belgian character with an interesting array of fruity flavours. The one thing that lets this beer down is the lighter mouthfeel, as I like my Belgian beers well-carbonated to act as a counterpoint to the spiciness from the yeast. I would probably get this beer again just to see if the low carbonation is a consistent trait, but if that is the case then I wouldn't get it afterwards. Partially recommended, pending further tasting.

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This blog will showcase a series of ramblings about various beers I've had the opportunity to try. If my disjointed, poorly described musings can convince a few people to try something different, then I'll be immensely happy. Thanks for reading!